I read in RRI where the MCUI are discussing a proposal to have a cc limit at national races from 2010 in effect banning superbikes and superstockers. I would have thought that a 600 supersport would have a higher cornering speed and would be ridden a lot harder by the rider while a more carefull approach would be taken on a superbike. The situation also arises where a team will be buying/preparing a superbike for the 3 internationals only, and it will ly idle for the remainder of the year. I know it's a completely different discipline but a capacity limit didn't work in MotoGP, will it work on the roads?

What is the reason given for talking about a change?
If it was lowered what classes would we be left with.
125s already on the decline, despite the efforts of the Two stroke supportes. Green politics will eventually stop them.
250s the same
400s not many made in the last five years
600s
650 twins, how many manufactures make them
750s Suzuki?

Someone better come up with some alternatives otherwise we will be watching ten 600 races each meeting.

"Safety" is the word being used. No doubt we will see a third Classic race added to the programme.

s' very tricky innit? looking at the speeds the big bikes do nowadays, i almost crap me pants watching some of the racing. john mcpint says he's scared first time out every year on the superbike at the iom.
still, several of the worst accidents in recent years have been on 600's.

Speeds

North West lap speed speed trap
125 101.9 137
250 110.5 157
400 105.2 142
600 118.8 174
650 102.4 139
S/stock 121.9 189
1000 123.8 194

Skerries

Lap speed
125 95.876
250 104.577
400 95.201
600 107.196
1000 106.965

i havnt seen the article in rri yet, but this was voiced by several top riders to a coc, tellin him that super bikes/stock were just too fast for the national road events.
the small road races are just too fast for the big machines, and the safety issue was mentioned to him.
so it is the riders point of view.

I am not against the idea of making racing safer and who best to ask is the riders, but I think someone should be looking to the future and replacing the classes we have at present. The speeds do not really make a difference as long as the racing is close. The only real racing bikes left are 125s and 250s and if these were to go they will not be replaced.
Racing in Ireland, except for these is, and will continue to be, four stroke production based classes.
If 1010s are removed this really leaves us with 600 fours.
What other production based classes are there?
One make classes?
250 four strokes?, slow but could be close racing.
125 four strokes?, even slower.
400s?
500s?
650 twins?

With any new format of classes I would like to see the same races replicated at all meetings and not amalgamated at some and run on their own at others, with all classes run twice, one for support and one for championship riders with a "Grand Final" for the ** fastest of the day, no mater what class or grading.

I also think that removing superbikes and superstock machines from the national racing scene on safety grounds is misguided.
Correct me if i am wrong but over the last few years the one common factor that has taken more riders lives than any other is machine failure.In fact i cant think of one fatality that is linked directly to machine speed or capacity.
David Jefferies,Richard Britton Jun Maeda,Darren Lindsay,Martin Finnegan and Robert Dunlop all taken from us directly due to machine failure.
The machines most likely to have serious failures are the two strokes and the most stressed four strokes.Surely the superstock and superbike machines are the least likely machines to let go in a big way.
The 1000cc machines are only faster on the straight sections and are slower through the turns, how many accidents occur on the straights??
However the one factor that does go against the superbike at national level is the budget required to build and run one. It would make more sense if the powers that be were to propose the removal of superbikes in favour of superstock machines to help up and coming riders with their budgets this also gives them a machine that would be eligable for the internationals.
To my mind the key to increased rider safety does not lie in how fast the machine can go down the straights but how likeley the machine is to pitch its rider off.

From reading the article it seems that it is the riders that want the size lowered due to the bhp of the big bikes.
Your comment on safety, and less stressed engines and realiability is borne out by #77s Superstocker.

Keeping racing affordable can be done by making the first three or five bikes available for sale after each meeting, this would keep people from putting trick bits in them.

Near everything that makes road racing safer is good thing, but if all the dangers were removed would as many take part or watch it, e.g. short circuits?

scrz wrote:

QUOTE:
but if all the dangers were removed would as many take part or watch it, e.g. short circuits?

Don't think the families of the 7 or 8 riders killed at circuits in the last 2 or 3 years would agree with that.